


In this world (it's to eat or to be eaten)

by UpInOrbit



Series: 50 word prompts [4]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Blood, But like very vaguely, M/M, Murder, Non kinky biting, Other: See Story Notes, Supernatural Elements, Unreliable Narrator, Vaguely inspired by ghouls, Violence, i think, identity theft, it's not as bad as it sounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:02:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27214609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UpInOrbit/pseuds/UpInOrbit
Summary: New town, new high school, new friends. A supernatural club, movie marathons, and gruesome animals killings in the woods.It wasn't what Mark was expecting when he first moved in but it should all be fine, as long as they don't venture too deep into the forest.Right...?
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Series: 50 word prompts [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1920427
Comments: 10
Kudos: 18
Collections: NCT Spookfest 2020





	In this world (it's to eat or to be eaten)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! Before we start with this fic, I think some warnings are due. This is my first attempt at something horror-like and while I'm not sure if I did it, the intention is there so in this fic you'll find: violence, characters getting injured, descriptions of death, blood and some more that I don't want to spoil (if you want to know, though, I really advise you to go look at the end notes). If that's not something you feel comfortable with reading, then I would suggest maybe skipping this one because, while I don't think it was that bad (it does have gorey parts but most of the violence is off scene), I can't, and won't try to force my standards on you.  
> That said, this started as a fic with ghouls and I honestly think that I can't consider it as such now, but the idea was there so, if you think this sounds kinda ghoulish with a tweak, then you know why ;)  
> And that is all from me now! A big thank you to Marta for not only reading over this one and cheering me on when I was about to give up, but also putting up with all my ramblings. This fic wouldn't be here without you <33 This is also a part of the 50 prompts challenge, for the word 'glass'  
> This fic also has a [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Wx4TIvLmzcnVa8SvslRvD)  
> I hope you guys enjoy this one!

The door to the clubroom opened with a loud bang as it crashed against the wall. It was still vibrating on its hinges when Hyuck entered with big, confident strides, like he owned the place. Which, if Mark were to be honest (and he always was), he kinda did.

He was, after all, the club president, and the so-called ‘clubroom’ was nothing if not a spare room in Hyuck’s house, one that his parents lent them for their weekly meetings. The meetings were mostly pointless, more of an excuse to hang out and, hopefully, manage to finish some of their homework, than actual club meetings. Hyuck came in late most of the time, even if it was his house, and both Renjun and Mark could barely resist rolling his eyes whenever any of them brought up any ‘credible monster spotting’, already dreading the sketchy sites with obviously photoshopped images they’d be forced to dissect. 

Still, the meetings were fun, more than Mark had expected at first, and, despite himself, he found he looked forward to them.

Sighing softly, Mark looked back down at his homework, found it staring back at him, the spreadsheet blank and mocking. He tapped the fingers of his left hand against the polished surface of the desk, while his right spun a small golden pocket mirror between his fingers. 

It was a game he’d played with himself ever since he was young, to try and spin the mirror without dropping it, or touching the mirror itself. As time went by, it had turned into a reflex, something he turned to when he was stressed. It had come in handy ever since he started taking that physics class.

He was so focused on his homework, he didn’t notice anyone approaching him from behind until the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Snapping the pocket mirror shut with a _thud_ , he put it away as he turned around on his seat, a warm breath fanning his ear.

“What is it today, Hyuck?”

“Is your homework that much more interesting than I am?” Hyuck pouted as he leaned against the desk, arms crossed in front of his chest.

Smiling to himself, endeared despite his best efforts not to be, Mark leaned back in his chest, mimicking Hyuck’s position, and arched an eyebrow.

“And if it is?” He asked, already visualizing Hyuck’s reply.

As soon as the words had left Mark’s lips, Hyuck took a step back, bringing a hand to his chest while he gasped like he had been deeply hurt.

“Mark! How could you ever say that to me? I thought you loved me!”

Rolling his eyes in feigned annoyance, even if he could barely stop the smile tugging at the corner of his lips from growing, Mark nudged Hyuck away, and picked back his pencil.

“Whatever you say, Hyuck. Now move back so that I can work,” with that, Mark looked down, brows furrowed as he pretended to focus on the spreadsheet. 

Despite his pretence, he was still hyper-aware of Hyuck’s eyes on him, and felt something akin to disappointment when the other finally pushed himself off his table, and moved on to team up with Jaemin at annoying Renjun.

Renjun wasn’t in the mood to deal with them, though, and it didn’t take him long before he pushed them away, spewing (vacant) threats at them. It was enough to make Jaemin and Hyuck back off for the time being, and soon peace and quiet settled over the room, each focused on their own thing.

It was obvious it was just temporary, though. Hyuck had been nervous and fidgety all throughout the morning, and it was pretty clear he was just waiting for the perfect moment to drop whatever bomb he had up his sleeve on them. It was merely a matter of time, of seeing who’d last longer without breaking.

It didn’t take more than a handful of minutes and, exactly like Mark had suspected, it wasn’t Hyuck who broke.

“Spit it out, Hyuckie,” Jeno whined from where he was sprawled on the floor, his back resting against Jaemin’s left leg. “We know you have something to tell us, just spit it out already.”

“Jeno! Are you accusing me, the president of this distinguished club, of withholding information from you, my precious comrades?” Hyuck looked at all of them one by one, his eyes bright as if he was about to cry, lips turned into a pout.

Mark and Renjun rolled their eyes at his antics, and Jeno let out a soft laugh.

“No, he’s accusing you of being annoying, Hyuck,” Jaemin replied with a huff, his tone amused. He didn’t even bother looking up from his notebook, slowly filling in the answers as he free hand carded through Jeno’s hair.

“Jaemin! That’s rude! Now I won’t tell you guys any of it,” Hyuck slumped against his chair, arms crossed in front of his chest, his pout even more pronounced.

Chenle let out a low groan, and Jisung mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like ‘ _look what you’ve done now_ ’. Hyuck sent them both a nasty look, which caused them to bury their heads in their books once again, the picture of innocence.

“Hyuck if you call us here on, and I quote ‘important club business’ and then don’t tell us said business, what even are we doing here?” Renjun tiredly asked.

“You must respect your club president!”

“Hyuck, we don’t respect you as a person, why would you expect we respect you as a club president?” Renjun’s question, combined with Hyuck’s utterly offended expression, threw them all into a fit of laughter, one that left them shaking with it.

“I’m going to kick you all out,” Hyuck grumbled then, making them laugh even harder.

“Please do, maybe I’d be more productive then,” Jeno replied, gazing sadly at his untouched books, still sitting inside his backpack.

“Dude, have you thought of, you know, sitting on an actual chair and maybe attempting to _do_ something??” Mark asked, looking away from his homework to stare inquisitively at Jeno, chewing on the top of his pencil as he did. 

Jeno grimaced when he caught sight of him doing that, but Mark merely shrugged. He knew it was a disgusting habit, so what? Sue him. It’s not like everyone didn’t have one or two disgusting habits, it could have been worse.

“That would probably be a good idea, yes,” Jeno hummed thoughtfully, but when Jaemin made to untangle his hand from his hair, Jeno bumped his head softly against Jaemin’s head, silently complaining until Jaemin complied, burying his fingers in his locks once again, lightly scratching his scalp.

Hyuck watched the exchange with a smile playing on his lips, eyes softening in fondness as he watched Jeno sigh, content, basking in Jaemin’s attention.

“So?” Renjun asked, leaning forward to stab at Hyuck with his pencil, causing him to yelp, before brandishing his own pencil as a weapon. “Are you going to spill or not?”

“Do you guys think you deserve to know?” Hyuck’s petulant tone was enough to make Chenle close his eyes in something almost like exasperation. Before any of them could do anything, he tapped on Jisung’s shoulder.

“Jisungie, come here,” he asked. A puzzled look in his eyes, Jisung stood up and walked up to Chenle, before being manoeuvred by the latter until he stood right beside Hyuck. “Ask him to tell us what this is about. We all know he can’t resist you,” he added, as both Hyuck and Jisung turned their heads to look at him, Hyuck betrayed, Jisung almost affronted. “Come on,” he urged him. “The sooner you ask him, the sooner we’ll be done. Besides, he really just wants an excuse to say it, might as well give it to him now…”

“I’ll remember this, Chenle,” Hyuck hissed. Chenle merely shot him finger guns, before nudging Jisung closer.

“Please tell us, Hyuck,” Jisung stepped between them just as Hyuck narrowed his eyes at Chenle, a calculating look in them. “I really want to know what you have to tell us,” he insisted, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. 

Mark could practically see Hyuck melting into a poodle, and, honestly? It wasn’t like he himself could blame the other. He, too, wanted to give Jisung whatever he asked for, and it wasn’t him Jisung was talking to.

“Okay, I will,” Hyuck let out a long-suffering sigh, as if it were a heavy burden Jisung was placing on his shoulders. “But only because you asked, my dearest Jisung,” he continued, and not even he could keep a smile from spreading through his face as Jisung bounced, excited, and clapped slightly before returning to his seat. Someone made a whipping sound, and Hyuck threw them a middle finger, without bothering to look, “like you’re one to talk, Jaemin.”

Jaemin opened his mouth to defend himself, but Mark cut him to it.

“He’s not wrong,” he replied, and Jaemin leaned back on his chair.

“He’s not,” he agreed. “And I don’t regret a thing,” with a blinding smile, Jaemin made grabby hands at Jisung, who just looked at him in mock disgust, cheeks tinted red, and went back to his books. Jaemin, with a dejected look on his face, sat back on his chair, his left hand finding his way to Jeno’s head again.

“Well, didn’t you guys want to know what I had to tell?” Hyuck interjected then. That got the rest’s attention, and they all swivelled their heads to stare at him.

“You know we do, just stop stalling and spill already.”

“So eager, Mark! Chill a little, will you? Anyway, my brother told me there’s been a growing number of strange animal deaths nearby,” Hyuck said, a loaded silence following his words.

When it became obvious Hyuck wasn’t going to add anything else, they all started speaking at the same time.

“That’s it?”

“Don’t animals die, all the time?”

“What even is a strange death!?”

“Hyuck, I swear, if you just made us wait for that shitty info, I’ll—”

Hyuck curved his lips into a sly smirk, like he was expecting that reaction, had goaded them into it. Renjun saw him and groaned.

“I hate it when you do that, just tell us the whole thing, don’t leave us hanging like that!”

“Ah, but where’s the fun in that?” When Renjun shot daggers at him, Hyuck clicked his tongue, though his amusement was still visible in the way his eyes crinkled. “You guys know my brother is a forest ranger, right?” The question was aimed at all of them, but Mark knew Hyuck was really asking him, so he nodded. “Well, he says he’s never seen animal deaths just like these.”

“Why? What do these deaths have that is strange?” Chenle asked, leaning forward, eyes wide.

“Johnny says it looks like another animal killed them, something bigger and stronger, and that they completely destroyed them.”

“And, why is that weird? Isn’t that what animals normally do?” Mark asked, hesitant. Looking around, he saw some of the others were as confused as him. “It might have been a pack of something that ran into the wolf and killed it. At least that’s what my family told me.”

“Your family has heard about this?” Renjun asked, mildly surprised. “I don’t think my family knew about this, and they live here.” 

Mark shrugged, idly playing with the pocket watch.

“They keep a close eye on the local news, just to make sure I’m doing well and such. Anyway, why is it that weird?”

“Maybe you’d know, if you let me finish,” Hyuck huffed in displeasure. Mark pursed his lips. “For starters, we’re not talking about dead deer or rabbits, we’re talking about things like dead wolves, and Johnny has been a ranger long enough to know what is normal and not. He says wolves are the biggest thing that we get around here, and that they don’t do this. Animals kill to feed, or to defend themselves, but they don’t leave things like… This, behind them.”

“So, what? Johnny thinks there’s some kind of new animal around that is on some kind of killing rampage?”

“In short? Yes,” Hyuck replied, and it was obvious by his somber expression he wasn’t lying about it. “Johnny told me to be careful when I go outside, and to not wander too far into the woods until they’ve caught whatever animal did this.”

“Is it that bad?” Chenle piped in, suddenly seeming equally parts interested and scared.

“Johnny showed my pics of the remains and… Honestly? They kind of gave me nightmares, so… _That_ terrible.”

“Do you have any copies?” Renjun asked, frowning slightly.

“Of the pic? I have one in my backpack,” Hyuck admitted. “Do you guys really want to see it?” They all nodded, even if some more hesitantly than others. Hyuck bit his lower lip. “Well then,” standing up, he reached for his backpack and rummaged through it until he found it. “Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you,” he said, before placing the photograph on top of Mark’s table, the rest of them scrambling to get around it to get a closer look.

It was no wonder it had caused Hyuck nightmares. The pic was a bit shaky, blurry around the edges, and the lighting was not the best, but even then, it was clear whatever had happened had not been a pleasant thing.

It was a photo taken of a clearing in the woods, tall trees looming around it, thick roots crisscrossing through it, making for a bumpy road. They grew close together, giving off an oppressing feeling but, still, it looked like it had been a beautiful place to see, once. Not then, however. Not at the time the picture had been taken.

Lying in the middle of the clearing, were the remains of what, once, had been a wolf. One couldn’t tell that by the picture, though. What remained was nothing more than an empty carcass, its insides spread throughout the clearing. The original colour of the wolf’s fur was difficult to say, covered as it was in dried blood, the red having turned almost black. 

The blood covered everything.

The remains of the wolf lay on pools of blood, and spurts of it had reached the trees. Near the edge of the picture, almost out of it, stood a man, what little could be seen of his face tinted with a greenish colour that spoke of how sick he felt just by standing there. He leaned against a tree, his hand resting near a streak of blood, one that had reached the tree’s trunk high above the man’s head.

The wolf had been very clearly torn apart, pieces of it scattered across the clearing. Chunks of hair were glued to the trees, the dried blood making sure they remained where they were, while a few lumps of flesh lay, bloody, surrounding what was barely recognizable as the wolf’s head. Its surface was a crisscross of claw marks, so deep they had almost punctured it right through, had almost turned it see-through.

Mark felt something churning in his stomach, his palms sweating and his vision blurring as he stared at the picture, but he couldn’t turn his eyes away. It was almost as if there was only him, and the photograph, whispering to him in a language that he could barely decipher.

The spell was only broken when an arm crossed the space between them, cutting the visual connection with the photograph. Slamming it down with more force than necessary, Renjun turned it around, so that only the back of the photograph was staring at them, blank and empty.

Even then, it was hard to breathe, the photograph having instilled something much like fear in their hearts. They found it hard to even speak, their hearts beating loudly in their ribcages.

“I told you it was bad,” Hyuck whispered. He wasn’t much better than the rest of them, his cheeks pale, lips devoid of all colour.

“In this world, it’s to eat or to be eaten,” Mark said at the same time, his eyes bright, never once leaving the photograph. There was nothing to see, facing down as it was, but the picture had embedded itself behind his eyelids, engraved itself in his brain, refusing to let him go as it sunk its claws into his mind. “But this… I don’t know how to describe this.”

The rest of them said nothing, unable to think of a reply, until Jeno reached forward to grip Mark’s shoulder, a sympathetic look in his eyes despite the fear and nausea still lingering in them. Mark startled before looking up. His lips twisted into a shadow of a smile and he reached up to squeeze Jeno’s hand in silent thanks.

“Do they know what kind of animal might have been able to do it?” Jaemin asked. Mark had never heard him sound like that.

Hyuck shook his head.

“They’re still wondering, but they don’t have any idea, really. Johnny says he’s never seen anything like this, and apparently it has happened quite a few times now, so they’ve decided to contact experts from other places to ask them. They’re still waiting for their reply.”

“This reminds me of something,” Renjun said then. His eyes were glued to the picture, and he didn’t even react as they all craned their neck to look at him. “I can’t remember what it was or where I read it, but I think I read something similar to this sometime. I’d have to take a look.”

“Hey, I know you believe in aliens and such, and this is a ‘supernatural club’ but you can’t possibly think some kind of supernatural creature did this, can you, Renjun?” Chenle asked softly, after a moment’s hesitation. “Yeah, it was big and freaky but, that’s all there is to it, right?”

Renjun looked up briefly, exchanging a look with Hyuck. Mark watched them, seeing the wordless exchange take place.

“I never said I believe that, Chenle, I just want to remember what I read. It’s on the tip of my tongue, but I seriously can’t remember.”

“Think about it and let us know, Injun,” Hyuck said then. Renjun nodded, still deep in thought. “My brother says they’re open to all options right now.”

“And… Has this happened near the town?” Jisung shyly asked. 

Hyuck turned to look at him, expression softening immediately when he saw the way Jisung shifted his weight from one foot to another, twisting his hands almost compulsively. Feeling all the eyes suddenly on him, Jisung turned his head to the floor, letting his hair shield his face.

Taking a step forward, Hyuck cupped Jisung’s cheek, smiling gently.

“Don’t worry, Jisungie! You’re safe with us. Nothing will happen to you on our watch, right?”

A chorus of ‘yes’ rang around the room, and soon Jisung was buried under a pile of bodies, after Jaemin all but leapt at him, kissing his face all over as he hugged him as strongly as he could, and the other just followed his lead.

The photograph, still lying on the desk, was promptly forgotten.

***

“Thank you!” Jisung beamed at him, as they approached the ice cream parlour, not long after. He was smiling wide, with a grin that was almost too big for his face. Mark grinned back, laughing.

“No need to thank me. Just choose whatever you want,” he replied, as Jisung nodded repeatedly.

“Biased much?” Jeno teased, a mischievous look in his eyes as he softly elbowed Mark.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mark replied, as nonchalantly as he could.

“Oh, don’t you, now? Then why does it look like you are trying to take the number one spot in Jisung's heart from me, huh?” Hyuck asked then, arms crossed in front of his chest and his left eyebrow raised. 

There was a smile playing at the corner of his lips, mirth sparkling in his eyes. 

It made him shine from within, Mark thought. 

"How could I? There's only one of you, and Jisung's heart is wholly for you."

"As it should," Hyuck replied in an overly sweet voice, bringing Jisung closer to place a wet kiss against his cheek.

Jisung scrunched his nose in mock disgust before breaking free from Hyuck’s embrace and running towards Chenle and Renjun, who were talking a little bit further ahead. Jeno and Hyuck followed him closely, joining the others.

“Going out for ice cream was a nice idea, Mark,” Jaemin told him, watching as the rest continued ahead of them.

“Thank you. I thought it might help Jisung feel better,” Mark didn’t say anything else, but, judging by the way Jaemin’s lips curved ever so slightly, his eyes going from one to another, Mark knew he had heard what had been left unsaid.

“You’re a good friend, Mark. I’m glad you’re part of our group now,” Jaemin’s tone was nothing but sincere, the honesty in his words making Mark’s heart skip a beat, touched.

“Thanks, Jaemin,” he replied, smiling.

“Are you guys going to come in?” Jeno turned to ask them from the door, half his body already inside the store.

Looking around, Mark realized they had been so far behind the rest had already reached the ice cream parlour. Both him and Jaemin broke into a light jog, reaching Jeno soon after, and thanked him as he kept the door open for them to come in.

“Do we have a table?” Jeno pointed at a table a little to their left. Turning around to look at it, Mark found Hyuck already sitting on it. “I’ll go keep him company,” he said, ignoring the knowing looks that Jeno and Jaemin exchanged in response.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” 

Hyuck jumped in his seat, snapping his eyes up to look at Mark as the latter slipped into a chair opposite to Hyuck’s. When he saw who was talking to him, he relaxed, a small smile spreading through his face as he idly played with the sleeves of his sweatshirt.

It was almost the end of October, the last remains of the summer slipping away between his fingers, turning into nothing more than a memory, but Mark didn’t think it was still chilly enough to require a sweatshirt in the middle of the evening. Still, Hyuck seemed to almost disappear into the piece of clothing, shrunk into half his usual size, the soft fabric more of a shield than anything else. He turned his face to his left, looking towards the window there, distracted eyes roaming the street beyond the glass, inspecting their reflection.

Not stopping to think about what he was about to do, Mark leaned forward, long fingers enveloping one of Hyuck’s hands, still covered by the sweater, and squeezed it for a couple of seconds. 

Hyuck looked at Mark, surprised, before turning his hand around and squeezing Mark’s back.

“Don’t worry too much about it, Hyuck. I’m sure your brother will find out soon enough what is doing that, and they’ll put an end to it. If we keep away from the forest, we should be fine, and I’m sure it’ll be over in no time.”

Hyuck nodded, his eyes closed, and gave him the barest hint of a smile. Mark smiled at him, too, releasing Hyuck’s hand with one last squeeze before Jaemin joined them in the table, choosing the middle seat, between Mark and the window.

“If you guys want anything, go now, I’ll stay here for you,” Jaemin mumbled around the spoon he hadn’t bothered to take out. 

Mark watched wearily as Jaemin manoeuvred around, never quite setting his ice cream on the table, and almost emptying it over Mark. The light drumming of fingers against the table made him look at Hyuck, who was already standing and was watching him with a question in his eyes.

“Don’t worry about me, I don’t really crave ice cream right now.”

“Are you sure?” Hyuck asked, frowning slightly. “I can get it for you if you want to.”

“Thank you, but I really don’t want any ice cream right now, don’t worry about me.”

“I’ll be back soon then,” Hyuck replied, waving slightly at them before jogging to where the rest of the others were standing, crowded around the counter.

“Do you not like ice cream?” Jaemin peered at him curiously. “You never get anything when we come here.”

“No, I do like it, it’s just that I don’t really want any right now,” at Jaemin’s incredulous look, Mark chuckled. “I liked it more before, and now I only crave it in very specific times, but I do like it.”

“Just not now,” Jaemin added, still looking at him like he was a heathen. Mark nodded, faintly amused.

“Just not now,” he agreed.

Chenle and Jisung chose that moment to join them once again and Jaemin’s whole attention focused on them. One by one, the rest of them approached their table, squeezing themselves to fit around it.

The last of them to do so was Hyuck, and Mark couldn’t help but smile to himself when he saw the colour had returned to his cheeks, laughter no longer just a shadow in his eyes but something present, almost tangible.

_Happiness is a good look on him_ , Mark thought then, just seconds before Hyuck glanced and him and caught him staring.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Hyuck asked, a beatific smile on his lips, one that looked at odds with the teasing glint on his eyes. "Anything you like?" 

Mark sketched a smile, one that slowly stretched into a full-on grin. 

He leaned forward, arms resting on top of the table, and he tilted his head to the side, his expression mimicking Hyuck's. 

"Maybe I do," he replied, relishing in the way Hyuck's eyes widened slightly, caught by surprise. "You have a really nice face. I like it,” he added as if an afterthought, watching as Hyuck slowly blushed, pink dusting his cheeks and down his neck. 

To his left, Jaemin cackled in glee, throwing his head back as he laughed, delighted by the way Hyuck seemed to be lost for words. Eventually, the rest of them joined Jaemin, and Hyuck twisted in his seat, swatting at them to stop laughing, the pink on his cheeks deepening. 

Mark smiled to himself, satisfaction simmering in his veins, and pretended he didn't notice Renjun's eyes boring holes into the side of his face.

***

It wasn’t until later, when the rest of them had gone to their respective homes, that Mark and Hyuck were left alone.

Their evening together had stretched longer than either of them had planned, the oranges and pinks of the dying lights slowly morphing into purples and blues. Stars had started to timidly show on the sky, twinkling upon them. Around them, the street was quiet, without the rest of the boys to fill it with their voices and laughter, and the only thing to be heard was the low murmur of the wind through the trees’ leaves.

“Are you cold?” Mark asked, catching the faint tremor that ran through Hyuck’s body. “Here,” he took off his jacket and placed it over Hyuck’s shoulders before he could say anything.

“Thank you,” Hyuck replied, corners of his eyes wrinkling as he wrapped the jacket properly around him.

“No worries. Let’s go, I’ll walk you to your house,” he said, as if he didn’t always walk him home.

“Can I ask you something?” 

Mark glanced at Hyuck from the corner of his eye, surprised by the seriousness he could hear in his voice.

“You know you can. You never need to ask,” he replied. “What is it?”

“Is there something going on between you and Renjun?” Hyuck asked, a worried frown on his face.

“Why would you say that?” Mark asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

“He’s looking at you like…,” Hyuck pursed his lips, deep in thought as he tried to come up with a fitting simile. Eventually, he settled for moving his arms around in a vague gesture, and adding, “like he’s about to challenge you to a fistfight.”

“Oh, that,” Mark chuckled softly to himself, and Hyuck’s worry melted away, morphing into pure confusion. “You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed,” Mark breathed out as he grabbed Hyuck’s sleeve, bringing them both to a stop.

“Notice what?”

“That he’s in love with you,” he replied, and watched as Hyuck’s face went through all emotions known to man. He ended up setting on shock, taking a step back as he let out a huff.

“What are you talking about?” Hyuck shook his head, eyes wide. “Renjun is not in love with you. He’s just my friend.”

“Yeah, a friend who’s in love with you,” Mark replied. He buried his hands in his pockets, and shrugged. “It’s pretty obvious when you see the way he looks at you.”

“Even if he was, that he isn’t, why would he look at you like he wants to punch your face?”

“You’re smarter than that, Hyuck,” Mark pushed his fringe away from his face. Hyuck’s eyes didn’t stray away from Mark, looking at him like he could extract the answers from him that way. He didn’t say anything, merely stared at him. Mark sighed. “I think he feels threatened by me…,” Mark replied, letting the end of his sentence hang between them, but Hyuck still didn’t reply. “We have been spending more time together lately, and I don’t think he likes that.”

“There’s no way, Mark. Renjun is my best friend. He’s not like that, he’s not jealous and, even if he were, he’d never act like that. Also, I would have known if he was in love with me,” Hyuck held Mark’s gaze, unwavering. 

Still, Mark saw the flicker of something in his eyes. It was brief, there and then gone, almost imperceptible if one wasn’t looking. 

Mark offered him a small smile.

“If you say so… I still think he is, but you know him better than I do, so I might be mistaken. I probably am, so just, ignore me, I guess. Let’s go, we’re almost at your house,” he tilted his head to the side, gesturing at Hyuck for him to follow. 

After a brief hesitation, Hyuck started walking after him. They didn’t talk much after that, not that Mark expected them to. Despite his previous words, he could make out the faint frown in Hyuck’s forehead, his pursed lips as he was deep in thought. He almost didn’t notice they had reached his house until Mark stopped and cleared his throat.

“What—? Oh, we’re here.”

“We are,” Mark smiled, not unkindly.

Hyuck didn’t move or say goodbye, however, his fingers playing with the hem of Mark’s jacket, teeth digging into his bottom lip.

“Hyuck? Is everything alright?”

“Do you want to stay the night? We can have a sleepover,” Hyuck offered instead of replying, his hands still grabbing the jacket.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll be fine,” despite Mark’s smile, Hyuck didn’t seem convinced.

“I know that but… I don’t like that you’re always alone back home.”

Mark shrugged slightly, turning his face towards the sky as he smiled.

“Don’t worry about me, Hyuck. I don’t really get lonely, and I’m always in touch with my family. They always keep an eye on me, even if it’s from afar, and they’ll be here soon anyway. Besides, I have you guys. I’m fine, seriously. You can trust me on this,” he insisted, until Hyuck sighed softly, slipping Mark’s jacket from his shoulders. 

Silently, he gave it back to Mark.

“Thank you for walking me here. See you tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Mark leaned back, balancing on the balls of his feet. “See you tomorrow, Hyuck.”

Mark waited until Hyuck disappeared between the shadows, and stayed even after that, until he knew Hyuck was safe inside his house, door closed firmly behind him. It was only then that he turned around and made his way back to his own house, jacket thrown carelessly over his shoulder.

The shadows seemed to be darker than before, coiling tightly around him, as if refusing to let go. Mark didn’t mind, relished in the cover they offered instead, and kept walking, humming a tune to himself, back to his house.

The door opened silently under his fingers when he finally reached it, the keys tinkling as he put them on top of the table, not even bothering to turn on the lights. The soft glow of the lamp posts outside his window offered enough lighting and Mark padded around his barren living room, stretching as he did.

Hyuck wasn’t wrong, for he did spend a lot of time alone in that empty apartment, but Mark didn’t really mind. It was only temporary and the set of pics he had hung just beside his bed were a reminder of that. Set side by side, there was one of him with Hyuck and the others, and then another of Mark’s family.

It was a reminder that, no matter how lonely the apartment might get, he was not alone, and never would be.

***

The bimonthly film nights were technically a club activity, one in which they “researched” sightings of possible monsters. That, at least, was what it was on paper. In reality, much like the club itself, it was nothing more than an excuse for them to gather around and spend time together, watching terrible movies about even more terrible monsters.

They each took turns to choose the films and that week it was Renjun’s turn. As expected he chose a questionable documentary over possible alien sightings and all of them groaned as the familiar low-quality videos started to roll, but didn’t complain any further than that. They were all equally guilty of subjecting the others to awful movies, and Renjun had been kind enough to just pick one film, and leave them the rest of the night to watch proper Halloween movies, to help them get in the mood for the upcoming festivity. 

Not that they really needed help to do that, honestly. With only a couple of days left until the fated day, they were all extremely excited about it.

They were on their second movie when Hyuck demanded a bathroom break, rushing from the living room towards the bathroom, letting the rest of them lounging around, the lights still turned off.

“Do you guys know what you’re going to dress up as this Halloween?”

“I do!” Chenle’s arm shot up, followed by a mischievous smile. “But it’s a surprise.”

“You’re no fun, Chenle,” Jaemin groaned as he threw popcorn towards Chenle’s head. The latter caught it in his mouth, munching happily on it as Jaemin threw his arms into the air, frustrated.

“I still haven’t decided,” Mark said. “I think I’ll probably go as myself,” as soon as the words had left his mouth, Mark became aware of his error. Jaemin stood very still, an affronted look on his face, one that was mirrored by the one Chenle, too, wore. “Or maybe I’ll improvise something as I go?”

“You can’t go as yourself! It’s Halloween, you have to go as something that instils fear in everyone’s hearts!! You going as yourself won’t do,” Jaemin’s tone was definite, and Mark almost envisioned Jaemin breaking into his house to force him to dress up for Halloween.

“I’ll see what I can do, then?” Mark offered, trying to keep his amusement from showing, in an attempt to placate Jaemin. 

It didn’t really work, as the other just scrunched his nose in disgust.

“You absolute heathen,” Jaemin hissed, as if personally offended. “I can’t believe we’re friends.”

“Are we, truly?” Mark asked, smiling. Jaemin narrowed his eyes at him, seemingly ready to fight, and Mark laughed.

“When is your family moving here, Mark?” Jeno intervened from where he was perched on the couch, right between Jaemin and Renjun. He threw Jaemin a warning look, to which Jaemin gave him his most innocent expression. “I know you told us you had moved here alone before them because they couldn’t yet, but are they moving in soon?”

Mark let his head fall back against the armchair's backrest, eyes closed. 

“Yeah, I think so. There's still a couple of things to be taken care of before they can move, but they should be done pretty soon.”

“That's good then,” Jisung replied, turning around to look at Mark from his seat on the floor. “You won't be alone anymore.”

"Jisungie," Mark cooed, one of his hands coming to press against his chest, "are you worried about me?" Jisung scrunched his nose and grumbled something under his breath that sounded like a denial, before going back to his previous position. "You're so cute," Mark continued, ignoring the half-hearted kick that Jisung sent in his general direction. “You remind me so much of my little brothers.”

"Do you think we'll be able to meet your family soon, then?" Renjun asked, his voice pensive. 

The question was unexpected enough that they all turned their heads to look at him, but Renjun, unfazed, merely shrugged, an almost bored expression on his face. 

"You want to meet my family?" Mark slowly repeated, turning the words around in his head like it'd give them a different meaning. 

Maybe he had missed something, misheard Renjun’s words.

"Yeah, why not?" Renjun replied, picking at a hole in his pants, absentmindedly stretching it further. "You've talked so much about them, I'm actually kind of looking forward to meeting them." 

A small murmur of assent came from five different throats, and it was Mark's turn to be on the other end of the staring contest. 

Scratching his head he eventually shrugged, and smiled. 

"Sure, why not? I didn't think you'd be interested but my family really wants to meet you guys too, so I guess I'll arrange it as soon as they get here."

"Maybe give them a couple of days first then," Hyuck snickered from behind him, before squeezing himself onto the armchair right beside Mark. It was a big armchair but not meant for two teenagers, and so it was a tight fit. Hyuck was half slouched against Mark, the right side body flushed against Mark's left, his other leg perched on top of the armrest. It was bound to be uncomfortable, but Hyuck didn't seem to mind, and neither did Mark. “If you introduce them to your family before they’re fully settled, they might run in the opposite direction and never come back.”

“Then I suppose I shouldn’t introduce you to them, like, at all, should I?” He teased.

It earned him a dramatic gasp and a shove to the side, as well as a couple of chuckles from the others, but it was worth it to see the mirth lighting up Hyuck’s face.

“Excuse me! I’ll let you know I’m a delight to be around,” he cried out, turning his head away from him, pride shining in the lines of his face.

“Sure you are,” Mark teased, jamming a finger in Hyuck’s side, making him shudder, lips pressed together to repress a smile.

“Hit play, Renjun. I don’t want to be slandered any more,” Hyuck sniffed, moving away from Mark, and throwing himself across Jeno, Jaemin and Renjun’s laps.

Jeno groaned, Hyuck having landed on top of his stomach, but Jaemin just moved his hands to rest on top of Hyuck’s legs, tracing patterns on his jeans almost immediately, and Renjun dug one of his hands in Hyuck’s hair, the other one blindly searching for the remote. Hyuck tensed for a split second, before Renjun’s caresses made him relax once again.

“Wait, Renjun, don’t hit play yet,” at Jisung’s request, Renjun put the remote down, and they all looked at the boy. “Hyuck, does your brother know anything else about the animal deaths? Has it happened again?”

Hyuck’s eyes met Mark over Jisung’s head, and Mark knew Hyuck was debating whether or not to tell Jisung that there had been, in fact, new killings. They seemed to be getting worse, the new ones somehow even bloodier than the last, but Jisung seemed scared enough as he was right then to add more fire to the fuel.

“They still don’t know what caused it, but he says they think they’re getting it under control,” Hyuck replied slowly, choosing his words carefully.

“Are you sure?” Jisung asked, anxious as he looked around the room.

“Yeah. There’s nothing to worry about, Jisungie,” Hyuck shot him an encouraging smile, one that Jisung seemed reluctant to believe.

“You’ll be fine, Jisung,” Mark interjected then, giving him his most encouraging and trustworthy smile. “You don’t have to worry about that, all the animal deaths have been _animal_ deaths, not human, and I’m sure you’ll be fine,” he insisted. “Just don’t go into the woods until it’s over, I guess.”

Jisung didn’t appear to be fully convinced, but with the rest of them insisting on it, he seemed to relax a little bit, enough to tell Renjun to play the film, the soft glow of the tv casting new shadows on them.

There was a feeling of camaraderie among them, some resemblance of peace that came from being together that was reassuring, relaxing even. They weren’t even speaking, but it didn’t matter, it wasn’t necessary. Just being there was enough.

Mark leaned back in the armchair, letting the movie envelop him, and breathed in, allowing himself to revel in that feeling.

***

The rest of the week passed in a daze, the nerves they were all feeling in face of Halloween making them almost vibrate. Some of them were more excited than others, with Chenle and Jaemin taking the lead, and Renjun somewhat somber when the topic was brought up. Jisung still seemed scared, but less than during their film night, which was a definite improvement.

Night was almost upon them by the time Mark made his way to the place they’d agreed to meet up. He was a little late, slightly out of breath as he jogged the last meters to where the rest of the group was waiting for him. He suppressed an amused smile as he saw the offended look Jaemin gave him, when he realized Mark had chosen not to dress up at all, wearing one of his usual hoodies instead. To avoid Jaemin’s wrath, Mark quickly greeted them all, taking care not to meet Jaemin’s eye.

It was then that he realized that, despite his tardiness, it seemed like Renjun and Jeno had only just arrived, and Mark was not the only one who had been missing.

“Where’s Jisung?” Renjun asked, craning his neck around to search for him, as the rest waved at him, smiling. Hyuck, dressed as a zombie, slipped to Mark’s side as soon as he arrived, glueing himself to his side.

Renjun’s eyes followed Hyuck’s movement briefly, a fleeting shadow obscuring them, but Hyuck kept his attention focused on Mark, body turned away from the rest.

Mark put his arm over Hyuck’s shoulder, bringing him closer, before returning his attention to the conversation at hand.

“ _Someone_ here told his mother that Jisung had failed that test he did a couple of weeks ago,” Jaemin scowled in Mark’s direction, and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, shrinking under the weight of his stare. “He had known for some time now but she thought he had done well and when she found out he had lied, she said he wasn’t allowed to come. Chenle said he’d come by later, but he wanted to keep Jisung company for a little while first.”

“That’s such a shame,” Hyuck lamented, a sad turn to his lips. “He was so excited about this.”

“He was but there’s nothing we can do now. Maybe we could swing by later and talk to him, even if it’s just through the window. I doubt his mother will let us in if he’s grounded,” Jeno said quietly.

“You know how seriously Jisung's mum takes his studies, why would you tell her that he had failed?” Renjun asked before any of them could reply to Jeno.

Mark looked up, jumping slightly when he found Renjun staring impassively at him. Lifting his arm, he raised his hands, almost defensive, he took a step back.

“I didn’t know she was there, I swear! Jisung wanted to show me one of his games and we were alone, I didn’t know she had come back! I would never say anything like that on purpose, what kind of person do you think I am?”

“Let it be, Renjun,” Hyuck whispered, sounding suddenly tired. Renjun focused on him, intently, but Hyuck looked somewhere past him. “I’m sure it was an accident and, anyway, like Jeno said, there’s little we can do about it now.”

Renjun pursed his lips, a displeased, unsatisfied look in his eyes, but he didn’t say anything else.

Silence stretched around them, tenser than it was before. Jeno shuffled his weight on his feet, uncomfortably looking at Renjun, but Renjun was still staring at Hyuck, the intensity in his eyes only growing as Hyuck continued to look away. Jaemin eyes jumped between the two of them, before taking a hesitant step forward, trying to get the rest’s attention.

“So, what was tonight’s plan?” He asked, before stepping right in front of Hyuck, so that he would have no other option but to look at Jaemin’s face. “Did you say you spoke to Felix?”

Hyuck stood straighter, still refusing to meet Renjun’s eyes, but at least looking at Jaemin.

“Yeah, Chenle and I ran into Felix a couple of days ago. He told us he and his friends were planning on doing the treasure hunt.”

“Isn’t that in the woods?” Renjun snapped his head to stare at Jaemin, alarmed. 

“Yeah. I thought it was going to be cancelled this year, but apparently they received the green light to do it.”

“We can’t do that,” Renjun shook his head, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why no?” Jaemin asked. Renjun just shook his head again.

“My brother told me they’ve made sure no wild animals will get near the town,” Hyuck said then, briefly glancing at Renjun. “There’s no risk.”

“I don’t think it’s safe,” Renjun insisted. His lips were pressed in a thin line, his knuckles white. “It’s too dangerous.”

“But if Hyuck’s brother says its safe, then it must be, right?” Jeno timidly cut in. “He wouldn’t let Hyuck near anything he considered even remotely dangerous.”

“Yeah, exactly, and everyone’s going! I spoke to Heejin the other day and she said she and her friends are going there too,” Jaemin nodded. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, Renjun. Hyuck? Mark? What do you guys think?”

“I really think this is a terrible idea,” Renjun spoke through clenched teeth, fingers digging into the flesh of his arms, leaving half-moons behind.

“Hyuck?” Jeno insisted.

Hyuck looked around, hesitant. His eyes stopped on Renjun for a brief moment, a silent conversation taking place between them in that short time.

“I mean, if Hyuck’s brother says its fine, then it must be, right? I’m sure they took all precautions to keep wild animals or whatever might have killed those wolves outside,” Mark supplied, smiling softly.

Jaemin bounced up and down, excited, and Jeno beamed at him. Beside him, Hyuck said nothing, Renjun’s mood seeming to sour even further.

“That makes three of us so we’re majority now, and the majority decided! Let’s go to the meeting point, if we rush we should make it there with plenty of time to spare,” Jaemin exclaimed, eyes sparkling.

Without waiting for them, he started walking, rushing to the edge of the forest, where the instructions for the treasure hunt would be given. Renjun followed them at a distance, dragging his feet, frowning and mulling over something. 

Hyuck, walking side by side with Mark, looked over his shoulder at Renjun, teeth digging into his lower lip. Before he could do or say anything, though, Jeno slipped to Renjun’s side, excitedly talking his ear off, and Hyuck looked back ahead, focusing on chasing after Jaemin instead.

There were already quite a number of people waiting for the treasure hunt to start by the time they arrived. Most of the people there, Mark didn’t recognize, and Hyuck and Jaemin took it upon themselves to tell him the names of those who stopped to wave at them. He did, however, see some faces he knew, and he smiled at them, just as someone tapped a mic, and they all turned to look at the front.

It was someone Mark didn’t know the name of, one of the older girls who had graduated a couple of years ago, according to what Jeno whispered to him. Mark merely nodded, and then disconnected, not really bothering to listen to what was being said.

Around them, dozens of enthusiastic faces were turned to where the girl was explaining the rules, drinking them in, and that was Mark focused on. The excitement was almost palpable, the air crackling with it, teenagers about to break into a sprint just to make sure they’d come out on top. It was almost intoxicating, if one allowed themselves to become lost in the buzzing that was slowly rising in volume.

Before he could, however, the girl said something, clapped, and, like a damn erupting, everyone around Mark started to run, rushing towards the woods until he was the only one behind. 

Soon, even the last of the lagging had disappeared amidst the foliage, and Mark was left standing in the middle of the street, staring at the trees.

Mark knew the rest of the boys had been whispering strategies to each other as the rules were explained, but he hadn’t been paying any attention to them, and they had all been too into the game to realize he had been left behind, so none thought to wait for him.

In front of him, the first line of trees stood up, tall, the treetops barely distinguishable from the sky, with the way the dark green leaves blended with the night sky. Above them, as if they were crowns, the stars twinkled, the moon’s bleary light barely making it through the clouds that were starting to gather over the forest. The wind whispered around Mark, carrying muted secrets in its wings, running cold fingers through his hair.

Hands deep in his pockets, a smile in his lips, Mark walked towards the trees, and let himself be engulfed by the forest.

***

There was an abandoned house in the middle of the forest. It was well-known by everyone and, during the summer, even the kids went there to play, for the door was long gone and it was safe enough that it didn’t pose any risks. No one really remembered who it had belonged too, but they all knew of its existence, and, when Hyuck rushed out of the trees and spied it, he felt a rush of relief cursing through his veins.

Just a little earlier, he had gotten separated from his friends due to his own stupidity: Renjun had wanted to speak to him, that much had been obvious by the way he kept trying to catch him unaware, but Hyuck didn’t want to talk to him, not then, not when they were in the middle of the forest and he had so much stuff to think about. 

Trying to avoid talking to him, Hyuck had allowed himself to fall behind his friends, trailing after them. Then something had caught his eye, distracting him, and by the time he had looked back at them, he was alone, and had wandered through the woods, trying to find his way back to them.

Hyuck knew the woods like the back of his hand, but like Johnny always said, the forest at night was a whole different story, the shadows making it seem like an entirely new place. The familiar house in the middle of the trees had been a relief, however, enough to make himself feel at home in the woods again.

Rushing towards it, he planned on waiting there until his friends appeared there. Even if they had argued, he knew Renjun would probably try to find him there, and it’d be best to stay put and wait until they got to the house, than to leave and rush through the woods blindly.

Mindlessly, he shot his friends a brief text through the group chat, and was about to put it away, the moonlight just about enough to see there, when he heard a familiar _ping_ coming from the house.

Frowning, Hyuck turned around, and peered through the open door.

“Guys? Are you there? Renjun?” When no one replied, Hyuck sent another text to the group chat, listening hard, and, there it was, the same sound as before. “Renjun? Are you there?” Hyuck insisted, pocketing his phone. “Why aren’t you replying?”

With a groan, Hyuck walked through the threshold and into the house. The first room was utterly empty, and Hyuck headed straight to the opposite door, ignoring both the corridor to his left, and the stairs that led to the upper floor. Renjun wouldn’t have any reason to go up there and, anyway, he thought he had heard the phone ring from the far end of the house.

The second room had once been a bedroom. The only remains of it were the mattress base, completely bare, and the tall mirror that hung on the wall. Other than that, the room was empty, and Hyuck was about to leave, ready to register the rest of the house, when he caught sight of the small mountain of clothes that lay on the floor.

It was too dark, at first, to make any sense of it, but then his eyes got used to the semidarkness and he realized he had seen them before, that familiar cape that was part of a vampire costume. The one Renjun had been wearing just half an hour before.

“Renjun?” Hyuck called out, softly, softer than before. He took a tentative step closer, looking around, a cold hand wrapped around his heart. “Jaemin? Jeno? This isn’t funny, please come out,” he said, a little louder, ignoring how his voice shook, how his heart thumped against his ribcage. “Renjun?” He repeated, kneeling by his side.

Extending a hand, he hesitated just as his fingers graced Renjun’s shoulder. He waited, holding his breath, for Renjun to turn around and scream at him, before dissolving into giggles, but it didn’t happen.

“Renjun?” He whispered, closing his hand around Renjun’s shoulder, and shaking him softly. His cape was cold, wet, as if he had been out in the rain.

Still, Renjun didn’t reply, and Hyuck, dread heavy in his stomach, pulled on his shoulder to make him face upwards.

The first thing he realized was that Renjun was heavier than usual, his body completely lax. The second was that his eyes were open, staring at the ceiling, lifeless.

Then, Hyuck looked down, at the place where his neck should have been, and all he saw a wave of red, a crimson pool slowly growing into a sea, coming from Renjun himself.

“RENJUN! NO NO NO RENJUN!” Hyuck screamed, his hands flying to cover his mouth. Dimly, a part of him noticed the sticky wetness on his cheek, and he almost retched. “Renjun, please say something!! Don’t die, Renjun, don’t die, please! Renjun!!”

Hyuck could barely see through the blurriness of his eyes, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably. He sobbed, extending his hands towards his friend. He didn’t dare touch, not wanting to cause him anymore pain, but he also didn’t want to leave him there, alone. Renjun’s eyes were glassy, unfocused, his face stained with dried blood, harsh red against the paling skin. 

Underneath him, the blood continued to flow, and his body was still warm. A part of Hyuck, the one that somehow still managed to think, knew he had to get out of there, least he wanted to face whatever it was that had ripped Renjun’s throat out, tore his body to pieces. There were claw marks across his chest, his clothes tattered, and it looked like something had bitten off a chunk of his throat. 

One of his hands was clutched around his phone, the other fallen by his side. His fingers were stained red, nails broken, as if he had fought with all he had and then some, and lost.

Hyuck knew he needed to run, but his legs wouldn’t obey, his hands having finally found his way to Renjun again, and refusing to let go.

Sobbing, Hyuck curled himself around Renjun, as if that would offer his friend protection, should the monster come back for them. His tears fell on Renjun’s cheeks, making it seem like they both were crying, Hyuck in heartbreak, Renjun in sadness and regret.

“Hyuck?” Mark’s voice called Hyuck from behind. The sudden noise startled him, and he almost screamed in fear, caught by surprise by Mark’s silent steps.

“Mark! Mark, help me, it’s Renjun, he needs help, he—!” Hiccuping, his words a mess barely understandable, Hyuck looked up, felt the air being punched out of his lungs.

The mirror he was kneeling in front of was filthy, its surface covered in dust. Dark blood stained it, droplets leaving a red trail behind them as they fell, almost as if the mirror itself were weeping, heart breaking in the face of Hyuck’s despair.

Hyuck’s reflection on it was distorted, rivers of crimson hiding half his face, the only part of him visible being his legs and arms, as they scooped Renjun’s body towards his chest. Renjun himself was barely visible in the mirror, even if the way his body sagged, limp, between Hyuck’s arms clearly noticeable. 

Behind Hyuck, the only thing to be seen was the door through which he had come.

“M-Mark?” Hyuck called out quietly, staying very, very still. Maybe it had been his mind, conjuring things that weren’t here.

He shut his eyes, until the darkness behind his eyelids was gone and all he could see were dancing lights.

When he opened, everything was as it was before he closed them. A whimper clawed its way up his throat, and he swallowed it whole.

“Hyuck? What is it?” Mark’s voice sounded concerned, but he didn’t come closer. Hyuck could almost picture him tilting his head to the side, like he did whenever he was concerned, but he couldn’t see it. The only thing in the mirror for him to see was himself, and Renjun. Mark seemed to realize it himself just then. “So you’ve finally found out,” he said, seemingly delighted, a hint of amusement in his voice. “I guess this is what happens when you can be anyone. The mirrors stop knowing whose reflection to show, and they show none.”

Carefully, his movements as slow as if he were underwater, Hyuck gently placed Renjun’s body back on the ground, closing his eyes as he did so. His hand came up covered in specks of blood, but he refused to look at it, wiping it on the back of his trousers as he stood up. 

He couldn’t afford to break down, not when Mark was there, not when Renjun had tried to warn him and had died when Hyuck had refused to listen.

Mark was staring at Hyuck, clearly amused, when Hyuck finally found the courage to look at his face.

He wished he hadn’t the moment he did so, wished he hadn’t seen the stains on Mark’s clothes and face, the trail of blood around his mouth and down his throat. Renjun’s final moments flashed in Hyuck’s mind, making him want to fall to his knees and cry.

Right then, like he knew, Mark smiled, a smile full of teeth and sharp edges, and Hyuck took a step back, then another. There was fear in his eyes, eyes that were wide open as they stared at Mark, at the serrated edges of his teeth and the way his hands were curving into claws.

“What are you?” He whispered, the words stuck in his throat, refusing to leave his lips, like they, too, were scared of what Mark had become. “What are you doing?”

“I told you already,” Mark replied, tilting his head to the side. He opened his eyes, an air of innocence around him that made him look like an angel, were the illusion not broken by the sharp teeth that glinted in the semidarkness. “In this world, it’s to eat or to be eaten.”

Mark stepped over Renjun’s body, not even caring about sidestepping it, show his remains some shred of respect. His boots left clear imprints on Renjun’s cooling blood, dark footprints behind him as he bridged the distance between them.

It occurred to Hyuck then that Mark didn’t care about not leaving a trail, about covering what had been done and by whom, and he knew that, the moment Mark left that house, no one would ever find him again, the only traces of his presence in the town the two bodies he’d leave to rot in an abandoned house.

“No, please, no,” Hyuck begged, pleaded, his voice breaking over the syllables. “Mark don’t do this, please,” he knew it was to no avail, that Mark found pleasure in seeing Hyuck beg for his life, in toying with him, but it was all he could do.

He took another step back.

“I’m really sorry about this,” Mark cooed, coming closer to Hyuck. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this but, Renjun? He hated me and wouldn’t leave it alone. He thought there was something off about me. He was a smart one, though, I’ll give him that,” Mark’s eyes darkened, turning pitch black. Hyuck whimpered, his back hitting the wall behind him. “He was the only one who figured out there was something going on, even if he didn’t know that. He’s been the first in a very, very long time to not believe me.”

“Why are you doing this?” Hyuck felt the prickle of tears behind his eyelids, his vision turning blurry once again. His voice wavered and his hands shook, palms slick with sweat, but still, he tried to retreat, tried to get to the door.

Mark clicked his tongue, more amused than upset at Hyuck’s resistance.

“It’s survival, Hyuckie dear,” Mark replied, his voice as cool as ever, as if he were talking about the weather and not Hyuck’s impending death, as if Renjun’s body wasn’t cooling just a few meters behind him. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

“But you don’t have to do this,” Hyuck pleaded, voice barely above a whisper. “We could go to the police right now and everything would stop here, you don’t have to make it worse.”

“Stop here? It’s too late to stop now, Hyuck,” Mark shook his head. “Even if I wanted to, it’s too late, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my family. They’re all so excited to meet you, too! It’s been so long since I was this eager to introduce someone to them.” 

Hyuck sobbed, feeling the acrid taste of fear in his mouth.

“You’ve done this before, then?” Hyuck was no longer really aware of what was coming from his mouth, his brain frantically trying to come up with some kind of plan to get him out of there, to find his friends and get help, but still, he talked, like he did when he was nervous or excited, like he did when he needed _time_.

“My family needs it to live, and if I can help them, then of course I will. I wouldn’t be here without them: they saved me, a long time ago. I owe them everything I now have, and there’s _nothing_ I won’t do for them, Hyuck,” Mark’s tone held nothing but reverence in it, and Hyuck knew he’d never be able to sway him into helping him.

“So R-Renjun was right, then. All those places you’ve lived in, they had animal killings just like we have right now. Is that you and your family!?”

“A smart one, I told you. If he hadn’t been so hell-bent on hating me, maybe he could have joined us,” Mark mused, taking another step forward, stepping into a beam of moonlight.

With a silver halo framing one half of his face, the other half disguised by shadows, he looked every part the demon Hyuck should have seen from the beginning.

“Why us?” Hyuck couldn’t stop the tears from falling, droplets splattering against the ground beside his feet.

Mark tilted his head to the side and smiled, an innocent gesture so at odds with the blood that still stained his lips and teeth. _Renjun’s_ blood, and Hyuck felt himself sick to his stomach.

“I told you already, Hyuck, aren’t you listening?” Mark’s grin because bigger, an almost excited look to his eyes. “I liked your face, Hyuck. I like it enough to make it mine.”

It was the admission that made Hyuck’s vision turn black, his legs unable to keep him standing any longer.

The thought that it had been him the reason why Mark had decided to befriend them, had stuck close to them, just to have easier access to Hyuck… And Renjun had known and still Hyuck had doubted his friend, had labelled his accusations as a fantasy, because he’d let Mark’s words get to him.

“You can’t to this,” Hyuck whispered, his voice falling, barely over a whimper. “They know I’m here, they’ll come get me and they’ll find you,” his voice sounded desperate even to Hyuck’s own ears, but he didn’t care, didn’t care about anything that wasn’t getting away from there.

Mark laughed softly, eyes shining in mirth.

“It’s so sweet of you to worry about my wellbeing, but you don’t need to. Chenle and Jisung are out of commission and, Jeno and Jaemin? They won’t be coming, not when I told them you were safe with me,” Mark grinned at him, waving his phone in front of Hyuck, just long enough for Hyuck to realize Mark _had_ texted the group chat, and that, whatever he might have said, had made Jeno and Jaemin send twin thumbs-up emojis, which meant, no one was coming for him. 

If he wanted to live through the night, then it was up to him.

Without stopping to think about it, least he’d run out of the courage needed to do it, Hyuck rushed towards Mark, who was standing between him and the only door to the room, and crashed against him, digging his shoulder into his stomach.

Mark stumbled back, hitting the wall behind him with a groan as the air left his lungs, and Hyuck turned away from him, rushing to leave the room, not even bothering to see if there was a way to lock it. 

He had a feeling that wouldn’t have stopped Mark anyway.

Hyuck’s feet thumped against the floorboards as he sprinted towards the front door, as fast as he could. Behind him, Mark laughed, the joyful sound sending chills down Hyuck’s spine. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and Hyuck knew, without looking back, that Mark was chasing after him.

Leaping through the front door, Hyuck stumbled onto the clearing, the cool night air an almost painful contrast against his almost feverish skin. His heart roared in his ears, his own heartbeat so loud he could barely hear Mark running behind him.

He had taken no more than five steps when he felt arms around his waist, a warm body tackling him from behind and throwing him face-first into the ground. 

Crying out, Hyuck tried to get away, but couldn’t do much with Mark’s added weight on top of him. He managed to turn around, kicking and punching blindly. One of his hands struck Mark on the cheek, but Mark, unfazed, merely let out a laugh, before he managed to pin both of Hyuck’s hands to the ground, above his head, his grip stronger than Mark’s appearance suggested.

“Now, be a good boy and behave for me, won’t you, Hyuck?” Mark cooed at him, bringing his face closer to Hyuck’s.

“Go to hell,” Hyuck spat out, still trying to break free.

Mark merely clicked his tongue, unfazed.

“That isn’t very nice of you,” he chastised, his breath a warm caress against Hyuck’s cheek.Mark’s lips were barely a hair’s breadth away from Hyuck’s, his face so close Hyuck could see himself in Mark’s eyes, his blown pupils taking most of his iris, acting as dark mirrors. “I have to say, I’m afraid this will hurt you,” he whispered, lips coming to rest in the spot where the neck and shoulder met. 

“What—?” Hyuck started, alarmed, but his question was cut short when Mark moved, faster than the human eye could track.

Mark’s teeth dug into Hyuck’s shoulder, sharp canines tearing through the flesh. The pain was almost unbearable, and Hyuck screamed, feeling blood rushing through the open wounds, pooling under him.

Licking his lips, Mark stood straighter above Hyuck, fresh crimson staining his mouth and chin. His eyes were feverish, delighted, and he laughed as Hyuck trashed under him, trying to break free from his hold.

“You’re just as sweet as I hoped you’d be,” he told them, a knowing smirk on his lips, like he was just telling him a secret. “Much better than your friend, if I may tell you that.”

Tears of pain and anger burnt Hyuck’s eyes, streaming down his cheeks, and he sobbed, his shoulder throbbing, he himself feeling exhausted.

Mark’s eyes roamed over Hyuck, as if looking for a new place in which to sink his teeth. Hyuck tensed, even as Mark’s weight kept him firmly pinned to the floor. Changing his grip on Hyuck’s wrists from both hands to just another, Mark painted an invisible trail with his fingers, starting at the corner of Hyuck’s left eye, then going down, past his chin and down his neck, to stop just above his heart.

There, he tapped against the skin, with featherlight fingers, as if it were porcelain.

“It’s such a shame you won’t be able to meet my family, even if they will meet you,” Mark said, making no sense to Hyuck. His fingernails dug into the sensitive skin of Hyuck’s inner wrists. “But this is the safest way for them, when no one will see them. I scout the town and get them what they need, and we all take care of each other,” Hyuck shook his head, lips moving without producing a sound. “Cheer up, buttercup,” Mark leaned forward, brushing his blood-stained lips against Hyuck’s cheek, a mockery of a kiss. “I’ll make it quick, don’t worry,” he said, voice as sweet as honey. “You’ll barely even notice.” Hyuck closed his eyes, shaking with every sob that escaped through his lips. “Keep your eyes open, Hyuckie. It’s such a lovely night, wouldn’t want you to miss it,” Mark said, smile audible in his voice.

Blinking through the tears, Hyuck opened his eyes, partly out of fear of Mark’s wrath, shall he disobey his command, partly because he didn’t want to surrender to death, didn’t want his last memory to be of Mark above him, gloating on his flesh and blood.

The sky was dark, clouds starting to gather above them, signalling the rain that was to come, covering the stars. It was as if even they didn’t want to witness what was about to happen.

Mark raised his right arm, fingers curving into claws, eyes fixated on Hyuck’s chest.

They glinted as a stray ray of light passed over them. Distantly, the rustling of leaves could be heard, voices slowly approaching.

Mark went utterly still, as if he had turned into a statue, before turning his head to the side, predator-like focus on the direction the noise had come from. 

Underneath him, Hyuck didn’t even dare breathe.

“He managed to call for help? That little shit, always making my work more difficult,” Mark grunted. “But it doesn’t matter anyway, you’ll already be dead when they come here,” Mark returned his attention to Hyuck, but Hyuck had been waiting for it.

The distraction had barely lasted for a couple of seconds, but it had been enough for Mark to relax his hold on Hyuck’s wrists ever so slightly, and Hyuck took advantage of it, tearing his hands away from Mark’s grip.

The sudden movement made Mark lose balance, his eyes widening as he felt himself falling forward. Before he could catch himself, Hyuck pushed him away, managing to break one of his legs free, and kicking Mark straight in the chest.

“Help! I’m here!” He shouted at the top of his lungs as he scrambled to get away from Mark.

He had barely managed to stand up when he felt fingers closing around his ankle, pulling on his leg until he fell to the ground once again, biting his tongue in the process, the taste of iron flooding his mouth.

“You are not going anywhere,” Mark hissed at him, clawing at Hyuck’s calf, digging into the muscle until the skin broke, and Hyuck cried out in pain, feeling Mark’s fingers tearing holes into his flesh.

“Let me go!” He screamed again, kicking Mark in the face with his free leg until something cracked under the sole of his shoe. 

Mark grunted in pain, dark blood flowing from his nose, but he still held onto Hyuck’s leg, fingers digging in deeper. The pain almost made Hyuck blackout, as intense as it was, but he pushed through the waves of nausea and dizziness that threatened to bury him under, and kept kicking and thrashing until he managed to hit Mark’s wrist, breaking himself free from his grip.

“Hyuck!” A familiar voice shouted then, and Hyuck almost cried in relief.

“Johnny! I’m here!” He shouted back, dragging himself across the ground, his right leg a useless weight behind him.

Frantically, Hyuck threw a look over his shoulder, trying to gauge what Mark was doing, anticipate his next movement.

Mark was crouching, his whole body close to the floor, as if he were a predator about to pounce on his prey. His eyes were dark, sharp teeth full on display, head almost completely parallel to the ground, as if he were listening intently. 

He cradled his injured wrist against his chest, almost protectively, but his nose had stopped bleeding and Hyuck had the terrifying thought that Mark didn’t heal like the rest of them, that he’d be up in no time while Hyuck still couldn’t even stand.

Behind Hyuck, the rustling of leaves became louder, beams of light filtering through the foliage, moving frantically, as if someone were running as fast as they could towards the clearing.

Hissing, Mark stood up, clearly annoyed. His eyes glinted in the darkness as he looked at Hyuck, his annoyance melting away into a contemplating expression, before his lips slowly stretched into a smile.

“Saved by the bell, huh. But don’t worry too much about it, we will see each other again, Hyuckie dear,” Mark whispered at him, his words a dark promise. “Just wait for me.”

Mark’s whole body shook, trembling wildly for a moment, before he went utterly still, and smiled at Hyuck one last time.

“No,” Hyuck whispered. “No!” He screamed again, so loud it left his throat feeling raw. He tried to get to Mark, scramble to reach his side, but his body wouldn’t obey his commands.

“Bye, Hyuck,” Mark winked at him, blew him a kiss, sadistic delight shining in dark brown eyes.

With that, Mark turned away and run towards the trees, jumping over the roots and ducking under the branches like it was nothing. Hyuck just stared at his back as he got away, unable to move at all. He felt the blood oozing from his wounds, a warm trickle falling down his back and arm, cold fingers digging into the earth underneath him, but even then, he couldn’t move.

“Hyuck! Hyuck, what happened!?” Johnny’s voice barely broke through the haze that had settled over Hyuck, who barely even noticed his brother kneeling beside him, or the calloused hands that tried to make him turn his face to look at Johnny. “Go check the house,” Johnny barked at someone behind them, before returning his attention to Hyuck. “Hyuckie, what happened?”

“Don’t call me that!” The words left Hyuck’s lips on their own accord, harsh and cutting, and he felt Johnny recoil, surprised. 

“I won’t, I won’t, I’m sorry,” Johnny murmured, carefully putting his arms around Hyuck. When Hyuck didn’t move away, he brought him closer, making Hyuck bury his tear-stained face in his chest.

Around him, more people filtered into the clearing, a cacophony of voices that shouted at each other. Even without listening to them, Hyuck could pinpoint the moment they found Renjun’s body, the shouting turning more frantic, even more confused. 

Someone called for the police. Someone else ran from the house, rushing for the trees, green in the face.

Hyuck couldn’t find it in himself to care.

Johnny’s arms around him were like an anchor, a tether that kept him grounded, but Hyuck barely noticed. He didn’t even reply when Johnny called his name, tried to get him to tell what happened. 

Instead, his brain kept replaying Mark’s last words, replaying the moment he had left, disappeared into the woods, wearing Renjun’s face.

***

_October, 2020_

_It’s been two years. Everyone says he’s gone, they’re gone, and that I should get over it but they weren’t there. They didn’t see him stepping over Renjun’s corpse, they didn’t see his teeth stained with blood, dripping down this chin, or the crazy look in his eyes when he stared at me._

_I can’t even look myself in the mirror anymore. The bite marks on my shoulder won’t fade, they just get clearer every time I wake up, and they bring me back to the time I almost died, when I lost a dear friend and was almost murdered by someone I thought loved me. Someone I loved._

_Sometimes they hurt and I lock myself up in my house, fearing every little sound, gripping a knife with so much force I’ve hurt myself._

_They say he’s dead. They say he’s gone and he won’t come back, and that I should leave but who will be here if I leave? They’ve all forgotten, they’ve all moved on, and they’ve fallen into his trap._

_He’ll come back one day, with a new face and a new story, and he will kill the town that almost beat him._

_He’ll come back and no one will remember him and he’ll try to kill me._

_Maybe he already has._

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry Renjun, I swear I have nothing against you (ily baby) but you always end up getting killed in my spooks... Poor Hyuck too for having to find the body... Also, I didn't tag it because I was really unsure about it, since Mark is /not/ human, but he does bite both Hyuck and Renjun, and he looks human while doing it so, cannibalism too? Maybe???  
> Well, I'm not sure how this one turned out because I was attempting to do many things at once (first try with ghouls (lol), first try with horror, first try with unreliable narrator...) and it was quite challenging, but I hope you have enjoyed it!  
> It was a pleasure to write for this fest, so a big thank you to the mods for making it possible this year too!  
> And that's it from me, let me know what you think about it, and if you have any questions or anything you didn't understand, feel free to ask me!  
> Comments and kudos warm my heart <33  
> [tw](https://twitter.com/starryjinsouls) || [cc](https://curiouscat.me/Val_99)
> 
> \- Val


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